As Time Goes By
by Adelaide6208
Summary: Draco Malfoy has been magically betrothed to a girl he doesn't know and can't stand. CH 8 is up- A Christmas Eve party forces Draco and Ellie simultaneously apart and together. And Astoria Greengrass makes an appearance and her intentions known.
1. Pajamas

Most all characters belong to JK Rowling.

Note: Although the story isn't finished yet, I've been going through and reworking some of the earlier chapters so that I'm more satisfied with them and they flow better as a whole. I hope you enjoy any changes.

* * *

Draco Malfoy's life was perfect, or at least as perfect as he could have hoped for. He had recently turned nineteen, had a comfortable home (albeit he still lived with his parents), and was generally well liked by the female population. Considering the things he had been through, particularly in his 6th and 7th years at school, his life had turned out better than he had expected. After all, he had survived the war and he still had not only all of his original limbs, but he also still had his family and many of his friends.

So why then, if his life was so wonderful, did he sit, staring at the canopy of his bed feeling rather useless?

Draco turned over and looked out his window at the August sun peaking its rays over the horizon. Since the end of the war, he had felt that there was no real purpose to anything anymore. He wasn't fighting for anything. He was just existing, day to day, with no real goal to look forward to. He didn't need to work thanks to the large fortune his family had amassed, and therefore, had no job to occupy his thoughts.

Sometimes he would allow his old friend Pansy Parkinson to occupy his time in whatever way she pleased, but it wasn't as if he planned on marrying her. Perhaps, he thought to himself, the reason that he felt so overwhelmingly useless was the fact that he had never had, and most likely would never have, any true friends. It was a dismal thought.

At that moment, however, Draco was ripped from his reverie by the sound of a sharp knock on the front door of the manor that resounded through the whole house. He cringed. He knew exactly what type of knock it was. It's the sort of knock that only his Nanna Malfoy used, and Draco was not particularly fond of his Nanna.

Downstairs, he heard his mother and father answer the door as politely as they could manage. Draco smiled as their muffled voices echoed up to his room. His mother sounded less than pleased. If anyone disliked Nanna Malfoy's visits more than Draco, it was Narcissa.

Draco lazily got up and walked to his closet to put on some clothes. No doubt Nanna would not want to waste any time that could be spent telling Draco about all the nice pureblood girls that he should court. He was finishing buttoning up his shirt when he heard a great crash from the front hall. He quickly threw open his bedroom door and rushed downstairs to see what the raucous was.

Narcissa Malfoy stood facing Nanna with a look of absolute horror on her face. At her feet sat the remains of a vase that she had clearly just dropped. Lucius Malfoy was standing next to her with a matching expression of shock plastered on his hansom features.

"Oh, hello, Draco," Nanna grinned at him. The massive amounts of wrinkles around her face made her look like a rather frightening bulldog.

"Hey, Nanna," Draco said as he surveyed the scene, "What's going on?" Narcissa and Lucius slowly snapped from their rigid stances and tried to compose themselves.

"Hey is for horses, Draco," Nanna waggled one wrinkled finger in his face, "I've just come to tell you all about the wonderful girl that you're going to marry." Draco smirked.

"I'm not marrying anyone, Nanna," he said. But Nanna only smiled wider.

"Oh, but you are, Draco," her eyes seemed to bulge from her head for all her excitement, "You've been betrothed." Draco felt his own face form into the same dumbfounded shock that his parents had worn just minutes ago.

"Nanna, I'm not marrying anyone," Draco repeated.

"I think you'll find her quite pleasing, Draco," Nanna ignored him, "She's pureblood, and not too bad looking from the pictures I've seen."

"You haven't even met her?" Narcissa all but shrieked, "My son! My _only_ son is not going to marry a complete stranger! I won't stand for it." Nanna's smile widened even more, stretching her wrinkles in a very strange way.

"I think you'll find your opinion of that very different seeing as the girl and her grandmother will be here any moment," Nanna said triumphantly.

What felt like nearly a whole world away, although it was really across a small stretch of water and half a country, Ellie Bardot sat stock still on her kitchen floor where her grandmother was delivering the same terrible news. It was her eighteenth birthday, and her grandmother was ruining it.

"Oh, get up, Eleanor," the old woman heaved at the girls arm. But, Ellie stayed on the floor and didn't move. She knew it was immature, but it was the only way she could think to deal with the present situation.

"Margret, make your daughter get up!" But Margret Bardot stood on the other side of the kitchen looking just as helpless as Ellie felt.

"I'm not getting up, Mamie," Ellie said into her knees, "And I'm not going to marry anyone." The old woman looked anything but convinced.

"You may say that now, Eleanor, but I think you'll soon see things differently. Now get up before I force you up." But Ellie stayed exactly where she was and showed no signs of movement.

"Fine then," Mamie said. And without another word she grabbed Ellie's arm tightly and turned on the spot. After several moments of discomfort, during which Ellie thought her lungs might collapse, she took in a deep breath of fresh country air. She was sitting in the middle of a dirt road with great fields on either side.

"Get up, Eleanor," Mamie said sternly.

"No, I'm not going," Ellie said as she made to lie back on the ground.

"Oh, you'll go, whether you like it or not," Mamie said viciously, "You're going to marry a pureblood. I won't have you soil your family's good name, not like your good for nothing sister." And with strength that should not have been possessed by such a frail old woman, Mamie yanked Ellie up off the ground and began to pull her down the dirt road.

Ellie frowned, but walked sluggishly behind her grandmother. Not only was she still wearing her nightgown, she was also wearing a pair of rather ridiculous slippers. She didn't have her wand either, so there was no chance of escape as far as she could tell.

Finally, Mamie stopped in front of a massive gate that led up to an enormous mansion. The gate opened of its own accord, and as they walked up the path, Ellie saw beautiful albino peacocks strutting across the front lawn. She couldn't help but snort at them in disgust. Whoever lived here must be full of themselves.

"Don't embarrass me, Eleanor, or there'll be hell to pay," Mamie said as she rung the front bell. It swung open immediately and standing in front of Ellie was a tall, pale young man with silvery blonde hair. Although he was dressed, he had the distinctly disheveled look of someone who had just woken up. Ellie met his eyes and felt a shiver go down her spine. There was a decided coldness behind his eyes that scared her. Then his face gave way to a smirk as he surveyed her.

"What?" She asked indignantly, earning her an elbow from Mamie.

"You're wearing pajamas," he said simply.

* * *


	2. The Curse

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the recognizable characters. They all belong to JKR.

* * *

Draco felt a smirk cross his face as he took in the girl standing in the doorway. The top of her head barely reached where his chin was, and she had the appearance of a very angry puppy as she tossed a lock of her caramel colored hair over her shoulder. As his eyes made their way down the rest of her petit frame he couldn't help but start to laugh. She was wearing a loose fitting white night gown covered in little pink flowers.

As he continued to snicker at her attire he saw her face rearrange into a look of confusion, so he stated very obviously, "You're wearing pajamas."

Her mouth dropped as she stared at him in disbelief, and Draco could no longer control himself. He began to full out laugh.

"That's enough, young man," The old woman beside the girl whispered as she brushed her way past him into the foyer.

"Oh, Eloise," Nana said happily as she embraced the old woman, "at last we can sleep comfortably knowing our grandchildren will be united in marriage." The girl coughed uncomfortably as she looked at the floor.

"Now, Draco," Nana said beckoning him to come forward. Draco took a few steps closer to the old woman and the girl. "Draco, this is Eleanor Bardot. And Eleanor, this is my grandson, Draco." The girl stretched out her skinny arm towards him and they awkwardly shook hands. He noted silently to himself that her arms seemed much too long for her short body. She was strangely disproportionate and skinny, but not in a delicate sort of way. She looked more like a puppy who hadn't quite filled out into a dog.

"It's Ellie," the girl said gently as she looked away. Draco smirked at her again. Her soft voice made her sound quite weak. He had very little doubt that he could get rid of her and her grandmother easily. Whether Nana had "betrothed" him or not, Draco would find away to make this girl and her grandmother find marriage to him an impossible idea.

"Lucius, why don't you three go work things out, I'll talk to the children," Draco's mother said giving his father a meaningful glance. Draco inwardly scoffed at the word "children", he was hardly a child after all, he was already nineteen years old. He watched his mother walk around the room nervously until she settled back into her chair. Then both of them took to watching Eleanor stare out the window.

Draco leaned coolly against the wall and stared at her for some time. Suddenly her blue eyes met his. He waited for her to look away or blush, but she simply stared back with an obvious hatred in her eyes.

Their staring contest was only interrupted by the sound of the door opening abruptly. Draco watched her jump with surprise and once again he smirked, delighting in her uneasiness. Lucius walked in looking completely emotionless. He shut the door quietly and turned to his wife.

"They've performed some sort of dark magic and neither of them will undo it," Lucius said to Narcissa darkly.

"So, what are we supposed to do?" Draco asked eyeing the girl again. She was looking out the window again, but he could tell by her face she was thinking very hard.

"For now, Ms. Bardot will stay with us. According to your Nana, the curse will make it... difficult for you to part, at least until you're married." Draco's eyes snapped to his father. He could feel the anger growing in him. He was, after all, only nineteen years old. He hardly wanted to be dating. He definitely had no immediate plans of getting married.

"I'll be in my room then. Don't disturb me unless you've figured something out," Draco said coldly. He couldn't think of any other reaction that he should have, and so in an effort to keep an illusion of calmness, he decided he needed to be alone to collect himself and to think. So with that, he started up the stairs. He hardly made it halfway up when a sharp pain seemed to throb in his chest. It felt as though he had severe heartburn in his entire abdomen. He clutched his chest, but climbed another step. The pain worsened and spread farther down his chest and into his throat. He took another step, and now the pain was in his head too. He felt as though he was going to spew all over the stairs. Draco turned uneasily and looked down at his parents. Lucius and Narcissa watched him with mirrored confusion, Ellie was leaning against the wall, however, doubled over and clutching her abdomen. Her sharp blue eyes looked up at him. Then it all went black.

...

Draco opened his eyes and found himself staring at the ceiling of his bedroom. A rush of relief washed over him. He sat up and shook his head, as if to shake out the strange dream he'd just had. Then his eyes landed on her.

Ellie was seated at his desk writing something with his quill and his paper.

"Why are you in here?" he asked as coldly as he could manage. Ellie turned and stared at him. She looked equally as delighted as he did.

"Did you really enjoy that pain so much that you want me to make you hurt again?" Ellie scoffed at him, "Besides, I have to send for my parents. I don't have my wand or any clothes." Draco smirked at that. She was, in fact, still wearing her rediculous nightgown.

"Why would you need clothes when that nightgown is so becoming on you?" He sneered at her. She rolled her eyes and turned back to her letter.

"Honestly, you could try at least acting civilized towards me," she murmered softly, "especially since it looks like you're stuck with me for quite a while." Draco looked away from her in disgust. He would absolutely not be married, he would make sure of that. It was only a matter of time before they got one of the grandmothers to crack and lift the curse, and then all would be well.

"I won't be married," Draco said, "Not to you and not to anyone."

"Oh, like I really want to be married to someone like you?" Ellie scoffed, "You're the most pig-headed person I've ever met, and I hate you after only knowing you for an hour." Draco smirked. At least the feeling was mutual. Draco had often experianced hating a girl thoroughly and having her still pine away at him. Pansy, for example, adored Draco, even though he only tolerated her because the sex was good.

"It doesn't matter, anyway," Ellie said, interupting his thoughts, "There's a way to break the curse, and we'll find it before we're married."

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Next chapter will be good, I promise!

Comments and criticisms are both welcomed.


	3. Wedding Cake

A quick thank you to Christy86 - my lovely reviewer :) And to everyone who's added this to their favorite stories. Your support makes me very happy!

Disclaimer: Unfortunatly only the plot, Ellie, and a few minor characters belong to me.

* * *

Ellie stood in front of the full length mirror and glared at her reflection. Her reflection was wearing a beautiful silvery white wedding dress. She turned slightly and examined her reflection from the side.

"Does this dress make my butt look bigger?" She asked a sulking Draco.

"Yes," he answered without even looking at her. She couldn't help but grin. At that moment, however, Narcissa Malfoy returned to the dressing room with a load of wedding dresses in her arms and Ellie felt her face fall.

The three of them had been shopping literally all day. Ellie had tried on nearly fifty dresses, and Draco had managed to find excuses to only actually look at about five of them.

"I'm sure that one of these is bound to be the one," Narcissa said as she hung them in the dressing room, "One of these has to be the perfect wedding dress for you."

"Honestly, mum, I think she's tried on every dress on this side of England," Draco said into his magazine, "Perhaps we should call it quits." Narcissa scowled slightly as she undid the corset on the back of Ellie's dress. Narcissa was still somewhat upset over the fact that Draco was to be married in exactly one summer's time, but the idea of having a daughter and shopping partner made her incredibly excited.

"I promise, this will be the last store, Draco," Narcissa said. She pulled Ellie into the dressing room again and had her in another dress before you can say 'wedding cake'.

This one was particularly puffy. Ellie grinned at Draco.

"Hmm, what about this one?" Ellie asked him. Draco looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"You look disgusting," He said before turning back to his magazine.

"Wow, Draco, your surplus of charm is absolutely astounding," Ellie said as she turned in front of the mirror. He was right, of course. No one in their right mind would choose this for their wedding dress.

"Draco," Narcissa said testily, "Would you make yourself useful and go up front and ask someone if we can use a veil. I want to see this one with a veil on." Draco put down his magazine and disappeared with a huff. As he exited the room, Ellie got the odd sensation she sometimes got in her stomach whenever he left the room. It wasn't quite painful, but it was certainly irritating. The sensation was so irritating, in fact, that Draco had transfigured his large bed into two twin beds so they could sleep in the same room.

Draco stood in the front of the store looking at the large display of wedding veils and wondered which one to chose. He closed his eyes and grabbed the first one he touched before turning back to the dressing room.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a dark haired girl glaring at him through the window.

"Pansy!" He called happily as he motioned for her to enter the shop.

"So the rumors are true?" She asked coldly as she entered the shop. Draco looked down at the veil he still had in his hands.

"That depends on what rumors you've been hearing," he admitted softly. He couldn't help but be embarrassed by the situation. Not to mention, Pansy had always been a good friend to him even if she was very annoying, so seeing her act so coldly towards him made him slightly uncomfortable.

"People have been talking about you, Draco," Pansy lowered her voice and glanced around the shop for any eavesdroppers. "They say that you've proposed to some girl you hardly know. And they say that the girl is a Bardot." Draco felt somewhat relieved at the fact that Pansy didn't know that his crazy Nana had put a curse on him.

"Pans, it's not like I _want_ to marry her. I've sort of got my arms tied right now. It's a family issue, if you know what I mean," Draco said.

"But honestly, Draco," Pansy whispered, "Why would your family want you to marry a Bardot?"

"What's so wrong with them? They're supposed to be old family friends of my Nana's." Pansy's eyes widened in the way Draco recognized. She was about to spill a juicy secret.

"I can't believe you don't know this, Draco," She said excitedly, "A couple years back, the Bardot's had another daughter who was supposed to be married to some Bulgarian pure-blood. Now, I don't know the whole story, but apparently it was quite a scandal. My cousin attended Beauxbaton with her and she said that the Bardot refused to marry the Bulgarian because she was in love with a mudblood or half-breed or something. Then either they killed her or disowned her or something. I'm surprised anyone wants to marry the other sister." Draco stared at her. Now it made sense to him why Ellie's grandmother would want to betroth her to make sure she didn't run off.

"Thanks, Pansy," Draco said earnestly, "Hopefully that information will get my Nana off my back so I don't have to get married." Pansy kissed his cheek happily.

"Anything to help you, Draco," She said sweetly as she left the shop.

With that Draco turned back to the dressing room with the veil in hand.

"Honestly, Draco," Narcissa said as he entered, "It took you too long. We've finished trying on dresses. We're ready to go get some dinner now."

…

Dinner had been a somewhat awkward affair as Draco had tried several times to bring up Ellie's family and Ellie had kept tight lipped about the whole scandal. So, as night fell and Draco watched Ellie prepare for bed, he decided to be straight forward with the issue.

"I saw an old friend of mine today when we were dress shopping," He said as he watched Ellie seal a letter and give it to his eagle owl.

"That's great, Draco," Ellie said emotionlessly.

"She told me something interesting, so you're right, it was great." Ellie didn't even turn to look at him as he talked. "She told me something about your family." Ellie turned slightly. Draco smiled coldly, knowing that he had caught her attention.

"My friend told me that you have a sister." Ellie looked at him coldly.

"Your friend doesn't know anything," She said as she turned away from him again.

"No, I think my friend did know something. She said your sister ran off with a mudblood instead of getting married, so your family disowned her." Draco watched Ellie's body stiffen.

"No," Ellie whispered harshly, "You misunderstood me. Your friend thinks I _have _a sister. She is wrong, I_ had_ a sister. She was under the same curse we're under, and she tried to escape it so she could run off with someone else."

"So what happened," Draco said trying to seem uninterested, "Your family disowned her?" Ellie shook her head.

"No," her voice was lower than a whisper now, "She killed herself."

* * *

An interesting turn of events? Anyway, Comments and Criticism are both greatly appreciated. So, let me know what you think (even if you hate it).


	4. Sneaks, Snoops, and KnowItAlls

Sorry, that I haven't updated in so long! Thanks to anyone who has reviewed or added this to their favorites. Your encouragement and support is amazing.  
Once again only Ellie and Mamie belong to me.

* * *

Ellie watched Draco's face turn from cold and emotionless to some emotion she couldn't quite place.

"She just killed herself?" he asked after a moment of stunned silence. Ellie nodded and turned away again. She was so embarrassed to be seen crying.

"Yes. My mum seemed to think that she was trying to perform a counter curse or something and it backfired. Mamie and her fiancé found her the morning of the wedding, and they were devastated. And my dad…," Ellie felt herself choke up at the memory of it. She could still remember the day they had to put her father in an institution. It had been Mamie's idea after he wouldn't stop ranting at her.

"It's ok," Draco said as sympathetically as he could manage, "you don't need to tell me." Ellie smiled softly.

"No, I shouldn't get so upset over it," she smiled bitterly through her tears, "I was ten when it happened. But my dad, he refused to believe my sister was dead. We eventually had to put him in an institution." Draco and Ellie stood together awkwardly for a moment before Draco patted her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.

"I really am sorry," he said. Ellie laughed. It was the most emotion she'd seen from him in the two months she'd been living with the Malfoy's.

"The good news is that I think my sister may have known a way to reverse the spell. We just have to find out how," Ellie said with a small smile. Draco did his best to smile back, but it looked more like a very awkward smirk.

"We'll have to start looking together then," he said.

…

Over the next few weeks, Ellie and Draco looked through every single book in the Malfoy's extensive library. The problem was that although the Malfoy library seemed to have many books on old and dark magic, half of them were written in runes so Draco and Ellie had to take turns trying to decipher them.

"This is useless," Draco said one evening as they perused another illegible book, "I hardly passed ancient runes when I was at school, how can you expect me to read any of this." Ellie rolled her eyes.

"I'm not asking you to translate it word for word, Draco," She snapped, "You're just supposed to look for things that sound like they're related to this curse."

"How am I supposed to do that without translating everything?" He groaned as he leaned back in his chair. Ellie slammed her book shut.

"Stop being such a baby," she growled, "If you think this is so useless, than come up with a better idea." Ellie had never met anyone who knew how to push her buttons the way that Draco did.

"I think that we need to get out of this library for a while," Draco said, "Maybe we should try going to a book shop instead. It might be easier to find something helpful if we go to Diagon Alley." _Or Knockturn Alley_ he added in his mind.

"It might help," Ellie shrugged, "If we don't find anything at least we'll be able to have some fun."

…

Ellie ran her fingers along the binding of the books as she passed by shelf after shelf in the book shop. From the small irritating feeling in her middle she could tell that Draco was about 4 or 5 shelves behind her and to her left.

"Excuse me," said a bossy voice behind her, "but do you need help finding anything." Ellie turned and saw a bushy haired girl wearing dark robes and a name tag which read "Hello, my name is HERMIONE" in a funny print.

"Um, I was just browsing really. I'm looking for something on, er, ancient marriage traditions," Ellie said. The girl nodded happily.

"Let's see," she said clapping her hands together, "It depends on how ancient we're talking but I think I know of some books that may help. Why are you looking for it anyway?" Ellie tried not to get to annoyed with the nosey girl.

"Oh, it's just something my grandmother told me a bit ago that I wanted to look up," Ellie lied, "My Gran is half crazy, but every once in a while she says a few things that are true." The bushy headed girl nodded as she led her down a few more aisles.

"And what did your grandmother tell you?" She asked.

"Um, well, she said something about people being, er, magically betrothed," Ellie felt guilty saying it as she and Draco had decided to keep their betrothal a secret.

"Oh, yes," the girl said with a smile, "centuries and centuries ago, witches and wizards were forced to marry each other by using a spell that is actually quite similar to the cruciatus curse. I'm not sure of the specifics of the curse, but from what I've read of it, I know that it made it nearly impossible for two people who were betrothed to separate. They stopped using it in the early 18th century." Ellie was no longer annoyed with the girl; instead, she was impressed that she had found a walking, talking encyclopedia.

"Why did they stop using it," Ellie asked, no longer afraid to reveal her interest in the curse.

"It's simple, really," the girl said in her know-it-all voice, "Someone found a counter curse, so it was useless. Oh here's a book on it, I believe." The girl handed Ellie a rather large book titled Marriage and Love in the 16th and 17th Century. It sounded like a terrible book.

"Thanks a lot, er… Hermione," she said as she lightly took the book and walked in the direction that she knew from the slight tugging of her insides led to Draco.

She was nearly a shelf away when she accidently ran into a young women peaking between the bookshelves.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Ellie exclaimed as she took in the shocked woman. She was tall and slender with reddish brown hair that fell limply down to her elbows.

"Oh, it's alright," the young woman grinned, "you only startled me." Ellie grinned and was about to move on when the woman added, "Aren't you the girl who's going to marry Draco Malfoy?" Ellie felt her grin fade into a grimmace and a small blush creep across her cheeks.

"Um… yes, I am," Ellie said slightly embarrassed, "I'm Ellie Bardot." The girl grinned back.

"I'm Daphne Greengrass, I used to go to school with Draco. He's quite a catch."

"Oh, well, thanks," Ellie said awkwardly. The girl just grinned.

"Well, maybe I'll see you later," Daphne said and then left Ellie alone. Ellie turned, this time making sure not to run into anyone, and continued towards Draco.

She found him running his fingers along the spines of some old books. Ellie leaned against the bookshelf as she watched him look at each title in frustration. Even with the funny look on his face, Ellie knew that he was still attractive. He was quite a catch, for any girl.

"I think I may have something useful," she finally said. Draco looked up.

"What did you find?" He asked taking the heavy book from her.

"Well, after I ran into the human encyclopedia, she told me that this book might have what we're looking for." The pair quickly paid for the book before anyone could see what they were buying and then headed to the Leaky Cauldron to get some dinner and privately inspect the book.

Over dinner and a glass of wine, the two inspected the index of the book and quickly turned to a section entitled "Betrothal". Draco read it for some time and then abruptly looked up. He had a disturbed look on his face.

"What is it?" Ellie asked excitedly, "What's the counter curse?" Draco frowned and shook his head.

"The last page of this section has been torn out," he said darkly, "the page that should say how the curse is performed and reversed. There's only a small notice at the bottom of the page saying that the ministry has requested that this page be omitted because the betrothal curse is now considered illegal." Ellie frowned too. This wasn't good news.

"So, we know that there is a counter curse, at least," she said quietly, "we just have to find out how to do it?" Draco nodded.

"I think if we go to Knockturn Alley, we could probably find a book that tells us the counter curse. We'd have to go tomorrow, though as most shops are probably closed by now." The two quickly finished their dinner and Ellie threw her cloak over her shoulders and made towards the fireplace so that they could floo home.

"I was thinking, Ellie," Draco said as he stared at the fire place, "Maybe we should stay here for the night. You know, to get away from my parents and our grandparents." Ellie looked up at him with raised eyebrows.

"Well, I suppose that could be fun," she said suspiciously.

And so, Draco ordered a room for them. Tom smiled wryly as he led them up the stairs. He handed Draco the key and motioned to the door.

"You're in luck Mr. Malfoy," he grinned, "This is the last available room we have available tonight." And with that he quickly walked off. Draco turned the key and opened the door. Ellie felt her jaw drop as she realized why Tom had been grinning and acting so funny.

In the center of the room was a single tiny bed.

* * *

I really like the next chapter (I'm almost done with it - I swear!) so I'll update soon!  
Please review and tell me what you think so far!


	5. Red, Red Wine

Once again, thank you to everyone who has been so supportive of this story.

And also, most of this is still owned by JK Rowling.

* * *

Ellie and Draco both stood shocked in the doorway as Tom left them for the night. Ellie breathed in trying to keep her cool. Any happiness that either of them had felt from their glass of wine instantly vanished.

"That is the smallest bed I've ever seen," Draco said flatly. Something in Ellie's mind registered that this was probably a funny comment, but the shock of the situation made her forget how to laugh. Instead she let out a quick snort of disgust.

"Well, I call not sleeping on the floor," she said. It wasn't like there was very much floor to sleep on anyway. The small bed seemed to take up nearly the whole room.

"Oh, like hell I'm going to sleep on the floor," Draco said. And with that he made a quick break for the bed. Ellie was too quick for him, though, and she swiftly pushed him into the wall and leaped the remaining distance onto the bed.

"Don't even try to get on my bed," Ellie sneered, her wand pointed directly at his bewildered face.

"What are you, part centaur? I've never seen anyone run so fast in my life," He said as he felt in his pocket for his wand. He would blast her off the bed if he had to.

"I thought you were supposed to be a gentleman," Ellie glared up into his face, "A gentleman would let the lady sleep in the bed." Draco grinned as she said this and clasped his wand tightly, ready to withdraw it the moment she looked away.

"Well, tell me, Eleanor," He grinned, "Would a gentleman do this?" And with a grand flourish he pulled out his wand. He had barely begun to speak when –

"EXPELLIARMUS!!!" And Ellie was holding his wand with a wry smile on her face. "Honestly, Draco," She said cheekily, "I thought you were there when you-know-who was defeated! You ought to have some better tricks up your sleeves." Draco looked at the bed thoughtfully.

"You know, we could always share it," he whispered gently. Ellie's eyebrows soared halfway up her forehead.

"You are NOT getting into the same bed with me, you pervert," she growled.

"I don't mean anything suggestive," Draco said as he rolled his eyes, "I mean we could just share it. We can charm it to be just a little bit bigger and then we can both fit comfortably on it." Ellie thought it over for a moment.

"Fine," she said at last, "But if I have to share a bed with you, you had better have Tom bring up some more wine." And with a defeated grimace, she handed Draco his wand. Draco elegantly waved his wand and the bed stretched until it didn't have any more room to grow.

Draco had more wine sent up and the two sat on the just-big-enough bed and sipped it. Ellie would never admit it, but despite the fact that her father was a native of the land that more or less invented wine, she wasn't always the best at holding her alcohol. She smiled giddily at Draco as she finished her glass and he began to pour her more.

"You know," she grinned at him, "If we're going to have a sleep over, we'd better do it right."

"What's that supposed to mean," Draco raised an eyebrow, "I thought that this wasn't a raunchy sleep over."

"No, silly," Ellie giggled, "We ought to play truth or dare or tell secrets or something." She leaned back against the headboard and Draco rolled his eyes again.

"Ok, I dare you to shut up."

"Oh, don't be such a poop!" Ellie said with a ridiculous pout on her face, "Here, I'll start. I've only told a few choice people this, but my middle name is…" she paused as if for dramatic effect "Mildred. Isn't that awful!" Draco couldn't help but grin. It must have been the wine getting to him because he was beginning to feel rather silly, too.

"Go on," She said excitedly, "Now you tell me something that no one knows about you."

"Ok, ok," Draco said as he helped himself to another glass of wine, "You have to promise not to laugh, though."

"Oh, cross my heart and hope to die. Now tell me," Ellie exclaimed. Draco's eyes darkened and Ellie inched towards him waiting for his secret.

"When I was little, my Nana gave me a blanket that I used to sleep with every night."

"That's not a very good secret," Ellie whined, "Who hasn't had a blanket!"

"That's not the secret, Ellie," Draco said flourishing his glass in mock exasperation, "The secret is that I still have it. It's hidden in my sock drawer underneath all of my socks!" Ellie grinned. "Ok, now it's your turn, and make it something good this time," Draco grinned, "If I can find it on your birth certificate, then it's not a very good secret." Ellie looked at him for a second and then sighed.

"Ok, but you have to swear on your life that you'll never tell my grandmother," she said.

"I swear, I won't," he promised resolutely. And perhaps it was the alcohol, but Ellie could've sworn that Draco's face actually looked sincere.

"Ok, when I was little and we still lived in England, I had this muggle neighbor named Audrey. It wasn't like she lived close or anything, but all I had to do was hop the garden wall and run down the road for a bit and then I'd be at her house. Anyway, I used to play with her like every other after noon and she used to let me watch her television."

"What's a television?" Draco interrupted.

"Um, well, it's sort of like this box with a piece of glass on it."

"Like a mirror?"

"No, more like a picture frame with some funny buttons and knobs on it, only the pictures tell stories or show you what's going on in other parts of the world."

"Like a _magic_ mirror?"

"Merlin, Draco, only you would be so obsessed with mirrors!" Draco hit her playfully.

"Anyway, the point of my story is that I saw this lady in the television and she's like this super famous American actress. And ever since then, I've always secretly wanted to be her." Ellie finished her story rather lamely.

"Why would you want to be a muggle?" Draco scoffed at her.

"Well, first off, she eventually married a prince. And she was beautiful and super classy. And everybody loved her." Draco rolled his eyes. Ellie motioned for him to fill her glass again, but he took it away.

"I think you've had enough for one night, don't you think?" Ellie glared at him, but let him take her glass anyway.

"Now you tell me a good secret," Ellie whispered feeling her eyes grow heavy. Draco looked at her and thought for a moment, trying to decide what to tell her. "Make it a good one," she added interrupting his thoughts, "because you're the only person that knows mine."

"Ok, I have one then," Draco said leaning back in the bed, "but after I tell you we're going to bed." Ellie nodded, her eyes nearly closed.

"Lately, I've been thinking that I wouldn't mind being married to you." Even though she was half asleep, Ellie's face showed that she was shocked.

"That's the nicest thing you've ever said," she slurred. Draco turned so that he could lie on his back.

"I know," he smiled, letting his eyes begin to close too, "It's just that, even though I know I'm not always that nice to you. If we never find a way out of this curse, I promise that you'd still have a wonderful life and most likely really beautiful children."

"You are so vain, Draco. Only you could ruin such a nice moment like that," Ellie mumbled into her pillow. Draco grinned and with a wave of his wand, the lights went out.

…

Ellie woke up feeling uncomfortably warm. She struggled to get out of the covers of the bed but quickly found that the reason she was so hot was that Draco had not only wrapped his arms around her waist, but he had also managed to snuggle very close to her, and his hot breathe was cascading across the nape of her neck.

"Draco," she whispered trying to break free of his boa constrictor grasp, "Draco, let go." He let out a small snore, but otherwise remained deep in sleep. Ellie squirmed slightly as she tried to loosen his grip.

"Come on, Draco, let go," she said louder. He still didn't move. Ellie sighed knowing that she'd have to resort to more drastic measures. She wiggled slightly until she was able to release her right arm. Then she quickly elbowed Draco in the gut.

Several things then happened in very quick succession. First, Draco woke up from the force of Ellie's blow. He was so surprised by the blow that he reached out for his wand which caused the bed to shrink back to its original size which caused both Draco and Ellie to topple off the bed, Draco right on top of Ellie.

"What the fuck, Ellie," He growled without moving. Ellie simply started laughing.

"Draco," she said as she gasped for her breath, "You're crushing me." As she said this, both of them became increasingly aware of the proximity of their bodies. Ellie could feel Draco's chest move up and down as he breathed in and out. He lowered his head until their lips were nearly touching. Ellie secretly wondered if he could hear her heart pounding because it sounded like thunder in her ears. Her eyes fluttered closed and she could feel his breath against her lips.

And then there was a knock on the door. Both of them froze slightly, each secretly wishing that whoever knocked would just go away. But, they knocked again and Draco moved to answer it. Ellie leaned against the footboard and breathed deeply of the bed as Draco talked with whoever was at the door. That had been too close.

Draco came back and sat down next to her

"It's a letter," he said handing her a piece of paper, "I think it's for you."

"What do you mean think?" she asked, "either it is or it isn't" Draco shrugged without looking at her.

"It's in French," he said simply. Ellie skimmed the letter and sighed slightly.

"How do you feel about going to Paris, Draco," she asked.

"What? Planning our honeymoon already?" Draco grinned slightly. Ellie smirked at him.

"No, I think that we can find some answers about this curse there."

* * *

Alright, hope you enjoyed this very long chapter.  
Next chapter will be up soonish, I promise!

Also, as a side note - I'm not sure that I mentioned clearly earlier, but Ellie is French. Her dad is a pure-blood French and her mom is pure-blood British. Therefore, she went to school at Bauxbatons. Which would explain why a letter for her would be in French. Just to clear up any confusion.


	6. La Ville de L'amour

Sorry for the long delay on this story, but my studies have kept me very busy. No worries, I'm on summer break now!

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed and added this story to their favorites! It means the world to me :) I hope this chapter was worth the long wait.

And of course, most everything belongs to JK Rowling, except that a few new characters that popup in this chapter and Ellie belong to me. Enjoy!

* * *

Draco watched as Ellie quickly scribbled an address onto a crisp white envelope and then tied it to the owl they had borrowed from Tom.

"Who was that letter from, Ellie," He asked for what felt like the thousandth time. Ellie only scowled at him as she let the bird fly out the window.

"I told you, Draco. It's just an old friend who I've been staying in contact with for some time. I don't want to jinx anything by telling you." Draco leaned against the wall and studied her face as she watched the bird disappear into the sky. This morning had been too close for his own comfort. Draco had to keep telling himself that Ellie wasn't attractive, but the more he said it, the less he believed it. She certainly wasn't the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, but he couldn't help but feel an attraction towards her that he desperately hoped was a side effect of the curse.

"Come on, then," Ellie said, breaking him from his reverie.

"And where exactly do you plan on going, Ellie," He asked as she led the way out of the small bedroom they had shared the night before. A smile touched her lips.

"You're going to love Paris," She grinned. They left the Leaky Cauldron, and after walking a few feet, Ellie took Draco's hand.

"Ready?" She asked. Draco was about to answer, but she apparated before he could. For a moment, he felt as if his entire body had collapsed on his lungs, and just when he thought he might suffocate, he breathed in deeply and opened his eyes. They stood at the base of a very steep hill in what Draco assumed to be an ally of some sort.

"Where are we?" he asked trying to keep up with Ellie who had already started up the hill.

"This is Montmartre, Draco. Now be careful and stay to the side of the road, muggle cars drive on this street." Draco didn't know much about muggles, but he wasn't an idiot. He knew that a car was a sort of contraption that could travel quite fast and probably kill him, so he followed Ellie's direction and stuck to the side of the road.

"I thought we were going to Paris," Draco panted as they continued up the steep road. Ellie gave a humorless laugh.

"Have you never been to Paris before?" She said, turning slightly to look at him. Draco shook his head.

"I've been to the south of France, but I've never been to Paris before," he panted heavily.

"Well, Montmartre is the highest point of Paris. Hopefully when we get to the top, my friend will be there."

"The top?" Draco asked in a terrified voice, "How much farther up does this go?" Ellie just laughed. After what felt like ages to Draco, they finally reached a set of stairs that ascended up to a large white building with elegant domes at the top of it.

"That's the basilique du Sacré-Cœur," Ellie said motioning towards the building, "We're supposed to meet my friend in front of it." Draco nodded and they started up the stairs. When they finally reached the top, Draco was literally wheezing for air and Ellie was laughing at him.

"You seriously need to exercise more," She grinned at him. Draco only scowled back before sitting down on the top step and staring down at the marvelous view.

"So, this is where you're from?" He asked lightly as Ellie sat down next to him.

"Yes," she smiled at the view, "Isn't it beautiful?" Draco nodded.

"So if this is Paris, where's the Eiffel Tour?" he scanned the horizon quickly.

"Oh, that ugly thing?" Ellie scoffed, "You can't see it from here, but it's off that way a bit." She said pointing over her shoulder to where their view was obscured by several large trees. "I'll take you to see it later if you're really that interested." Draco grinned and was about to answer when a voice behind them began to call Ellie's name. Ellie quickly jumped up.

"Ellie! Ellie, je t'ai manqué?" A young man with dark curly hair and a cocky grin on his face approached them from the direction of the basilica. Ellie jumped up and ran to give him a hug.

"Victor!" She cried happily. Draco felt a twinge of jealousy that he tried desperately to ignore as the pair happily kissed each other's cheeks and began to chatter away in French. He would've given a hundred galleons to be able to go back in time and actually pay attention to the few French lessons his mother had given him.

"Oh, Draco!" Ellie said, taking his hand again, "This is an old family friend of mine, Victor." Draco tried to smile, but his lips seemed to pull too tightly over his lips making it look more like a grimace.

"I am so pleasing to have been meeting you," Victor said with a smile. Draco didn't respond. He didn't like the closeness that the young man had with Ellie.

"Désolé, il n'a pas de bonnes manières. Il est une bête anglaise, " Ellie grinned at Victor. Draco didn't speak French, but he could certainly tell when he was being talked about, so he turned away from them and stared back at the view without saying a word.

After several minutes Ellie called his name again, and he turned slightly only to see the pair kissing each other's cheeks again in a heartfelt goodbye that made Draco's stomach burn. Finally, Ellie approached him wearing a ridiculous grin and holding a small cream colored envelope.

"Come on, Draco," She grinned up at him, "We have another place we need to visit." Draco scowled and followed her back down the steps.

"So, that Victor is a friend of yours?" he asked acidly.

"Yes, he was a friend of my sister's, if you must know. I've known him since I was little," Ellie said back in an equally vile tone. Clearly, Draco's rude behavior didn't go unnoticed to her.

For a moment, Draco felt bad for acting rudely and he tried to find the right words to apologize with, but his pride made him quickly change his mind. Ellie and her friend had no right to talk about him.

Ellie silently led the way down a wider street until they reached a set of stairs in the side walk where she stopped and began to take several colorful pieces of paper out of the envelope.

"Draco," she asked as she quickly looked at each paper, "Do you know much about muggle transportation?"

"No," Draco said simply and scowled at her. Ellie scowled back.

"Ok, well, you know how in London, all the muggles ride an underground train?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Well, muggles do that here too. We have to ride on it to get where we're going, so I need you to just cooperate with me for a little bit, ok?" Draco continued to frown, but he nodded. It wasn't like he had much of a choice; they were magically bound to each other, after all. So he followed her down the steps into the dark world of the muggle underground.

Ellie bought them tickets for the métro and helped Draco through the turnstile which got them several disapproving stares from muggles who were also trying to get through. Then she led them further underground to the platform where they waited for the train to arrive.

After several minutes, a great wooshing sound began to come from the tunnel and Ellie mechanically took Draco's hand.

"I don't want to lose you," she said mockingly as the train pulled in front of them. The doors opened and Draco was glad to see that the train had hardly any other passengers on board. He didn't like the idea of being in an enclosed space with a bunch of muggles. Ellie let go of his hand and instead grabbed onto a pole that came down from the ceiling of the train. Draco stood awkwardly next to her, unsure of what to do.

"You should really grab onto one of the poles, Draco," Ellie said as the doors to the train began to close.

"Why?" Draco sneered at her. He got his answer fairly quickly. The train lurched forward and Draco quickly toppled over. He stood up and dusted off his pants before grabbing the same pole as Ellie.

"Are you only doing this to embarrass me?" he asked darkly as he leaned in closer to her. She rolled her eyes.

"Oh, yes," she said sarcastically, "I just love watching you make a fool of yourself." Draco turned and watched as lights quickly zipped past the windows until they reached another station and more people got on. After several stops that felt like an eternity to Draco, Ellie finally led them off the train and back out into the daylight.

"Are we still in Paris," Draco asked as Ellie looked at a piece of paper that was tucked inside the envelope.

"Yes, Draco, we're still in Paris," she said slightly annoyed. She quickly shoved the envelope back in her pocket and began to lead the way down the street again. Draco dragged his feet behind her until she stopped suddenly and led the way up to a front door and knocked on the door. They waited a few minutes and Draco couldn't help but notice that Ellie was nervously shaking.

Finally, the front door opened and a young woman who looked like an older, prettier version of Ellie appeared. Ellie began to sob and the woman wrapped her arms around her and began to murmur softly in French. Draco wondered if this was Ellie's mother, because if it was, she had certainly aged well.

"Qui êtes-vous?" the woman asked Draco.

"I'm sorry, I don't speak French, Madame," Draco said.

"Ah, I see," the young woman said, "what I mean is, who are you?"

"I'm Draco Malfoy, Ellie's fiancé. Who are you?"

"I'm Vivienne, her sister."

* * *

Dun, dun, duuuuun! I hope that you enjoyed that chapter, I know Ellie and I did because Paris is our favorite place! Also, I wanted this chapter to be a reminder that Draco isn't a very nice person. Sure, he has some feelings, but overall, he's a mean guy who only thinks about himself.


	7. The City of Lights

Once again, thanks to everyone for their support and SURPRISE! two chapters in less than a week!

And most things still belong to JKR

* * *

Draco watched as Ellie collapsed on the young woman's couch and continued to cry, although by now, she was smiling softly from behind her tears. The young woman continued to murmur in French, mostly short phrases that even Draco could recognize like "I'm sorry".

He studied the two women carefully. Both had similar faces and exactly the same color hair, but Vivienne looked more made up with heavily lined eyelids and dark red lipstick. Their style of clothing also couldn't be more opposite. Where Ellie was wearing jeans and canvas sneakers, Vivienne was wearing a pencil skirt and sensible pumps. And although Vivienne was surely the prettier of the two, Draco firmly decided that she looked too made up. He much preferred Ellie's style.

"I'm sorry to interrupt this heartwarming powwow, but I don't really understand what's going on," Draco said curtly to the young woman.

"Oh, but of course," She smiled, "I should explain to you what happened." Draco couldn't help but notice that her accent was much thicker than Ellie's and the slow methodical way she spoke made it clear that Ellie was clearly better at speaking English.

"I'm sure that Ellie has told you about my engagement?" She asked .

"Well, a little," Draco nodded.

"Well, then I will have to tell you the whole thing. Both of you should listen," she gently patted Ellie's back, "When I was eighteen years old, my grandmother betrothed me to a young Bulgarian pureblood. He was charming and handsome, I could not have asked for more in a husband that I did not get to choose. So, although I was under this dreadful curse that you are also under, I was happy enough.

"The wedding was set to be one year from the day that we found out we were betrothed, so it would have been in May of the following year. But in September, I met a French servant who was working in the Bulgarian's house and we fell in love. It was a terrible, impossible thing, because this servant was muggle born and because I couldn't separate from the Bulgarian. He could see my love for the servant and became extraordinarily jealous. He would get angry if the servant even looked at me and would often hit me if he caught me talking to or even looking at the servant. He fired the servant, but he left with a promise that before May, he would find a way to break the curse and help me run away.

"I waited for months and months, but the servant never came back. I was devastated, and on the night before my wedding I became resolute on one fact: I would rather die than marry the Bulgarian. So that night after the Bulgarian was surely asleep, I used a knife and was about to stab myself when one last thought trickled into my head. I thought of the servant again, and I thought to myself that if I were going to die I might as well be thinking of someone I loved. So I raised the knife and whispered 'I love you, Henri' – Henri was his name, of course. And I felt the strangest sensation in my chest. It was like a weight had not just been lifted off of me, but it had left a gapping whole in its place. And I knew that the spell had surely been broken.

"So I quickly packed up my things and ran off before anyone could find me gone. I knew that if my Mamie found me, she would surely kill me. But I found Henri, and we're married now. Oh, Ellie, I wish I could have told you, but you were too young." Vivienne finished hugging her sister happily. Draco frowned. The French were always going on about love, but it seemed like an overly hokey ending to the tale.

"I don't really understand," he said, "You said you loved someone else and the curse just broke?" Vivienne nodded.

"But not just anyone else, I'm sure that it must be your soul mate," she said. Draco frowned again and looked at Ellie softly. He had never had strong feelings towards anyone, so he certainly didn't have a soul mate that could get them out of this mess. He didn't even really like most women in his life, he only found them tolerable.

The front door opened, breaking Draco from his reverie and a tall, lanky man with light brown hair entered.

"Oh, everyone," Vivienne said happily, "This is my Henri. Henri, this is my baby sister Ellie, and this is her fiancé Draco." Henri entered and lightly shook Draco's hand, although judging by the blank look on his face, Draco was sure that Henri understood English about as well as Draco understood French.

"Well," Vivienne said, "How about some tea? Ellie, you will help me with it?" It didn't escape Draco's notice that the way Vivienne addressed her sister it sounded more like she wanted to get Ellie alone than like she really thought everyone wanted tea. But Ellie gave Draco a meaningful look and followed her sister into the kitchen.

Vivienne began to busy herself with the kettle and tea tray while Ellie stood by and watched her.

"I'll admit to you, Ellie," she whispered in French, "Half of that story was a lie." Ellie raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not surprised," she whispered back, "I don't believe for a second that 'true love' is strong enough to break this curse."

"I'm just worried about you, Ellie," Vivienne whispered, "Using the counter-curse means giving up everything. No family. No ties to anything you have now. And you don't have anyone like Henri waiting for you."

"I don't care," Ellie tried not to raise her voice, "You don't know that man out there. I can't stand him." Vivienne raised one pencil thin eyebrow.

"That's not what it looks like to me," she whispered delicately. Ellie only scoffed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked defensively. Vivienne shrugged.

"You didn't see the way he was looking at you. He looks at you very…," Vivienne trailed off and giggled.

"Very what?" Ellie asked as Vivienne turned away.

"Oh, you know," Vivienne's face turned a slight shade of pink, "Sort of… lustfully." Ellie's eyebrows shot up her forehead.

"Well, even if that were true," she said, practicing a Malfoy-esque style of calmness, "I still have no desire to marry him." Vivienne pouted slightly.

"Come on, Ellie," she whispered helplessly, "You have a chance to be happy! I know what family that boy comes from and we both know he's filthy rich. You would have a luxurious lifestyle with someone who at least thinks you're tolerable." Ellie turned away from her sister trying not to let her anger show.

"Vivienne, I don't want tolerable. I want a husband who will love me. And trust me, Draco Malfoy isn't the loving type. He has his moments of kindness, but in the end, he only thinks about himself." The teakettle began to whistle.

"Well then we better act fast, we don't have much time," Vivienne said and she quickly began rummaging through one of the kitchen drawers. She finally pulled out a quill and parchment and began writing very quickly. Then she stuffed the parchment into an envelope.

"Let me see your hand," she said without turning around. Thinking that Vivienne was going to give her the envelope, Ellie stuck out her hand. Instead, she roughly grabbed it and very quickly stabbed Ellie's index finger with a knife. Ellie saw that Vivienne's finger was already bleeding.

"Viv, what are you doing?" She asked.

"I'm making sure that only you or I can open this envelope. Now listen to me," she said as she squeezed a drop of Ellie's blood and a drop of her own blood onto the envelope before maneuvering her wand around the edge of the envelope to create a magical seal, "This envelope will give you specific directions on how to break the curse. You won't be able to open it until the night before your wedding, but that gives you plenty of time to think over what you want to do about this. Do you understand?" Ellie nodded.

"Good," Vivienne said. She shoved the envelope into Ellie's hand and then quickly picked up the tea platter, "Now, remember, if you do decide to break the curse, you can always come here now that you know where Henri and I live." Ellie nodded again and shoved the envelope in her back pocket before following Vivienne back out into the sitting room.

Draco and Henri were sitting across from each other, neither saying a word. 'Of course not,' Ellie thought looking over the pale boy, 'he wouldn't waist his breath on a muggle born.' Draco looked up at her as she entered and Ellie felt herself blush at the thought that Vivienne thought he looked at her _lustfully_. She certainly hoped that Vivienne was wrong.

After a prolonged stay, the pair finally left and made their way back towards the métro station. Once they were safely on board, Draco lowered his head towards Ellie and whispered softly into her ear.

"What did your sister want when you went to make tea?" Ellie tried not to look surprised.

"She just wanted to talk about our family," Ellie lied smoothly, "She had caught wind about dad and wanted to know how things really were at home." Draco frowned.

"Do you really think that love is the answer to this mess," he asked not looking at her. Ellie breathed out slowly and tried to compose her thoughts.

"No," she answered honestly, "but I suppose that's all we have right now. And you shouldn't frown like that, Draco, you'll have wrinkles all over your forehead by the time you're twenty five." Draco smiled softly, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Do you love Victor?" he asked watching her face markedly. Ellie laughed.

"What?" She asked in surprise, "You think that I'm in love with Victor?" Draco frowned again. It wasn't the reaction he had anticipated.

"So you don't have an… attraction to him," Draco tried to rephrase the question.

"No, not even slightly," Ellie said, "And this is our stop. Come on, I want to show you something." Draco followed her up the steps and out of the underground. The sun had already set, but the street lamps were lit, and they seemed to be in a popular part of town where restaurants were still open and bustling. They walked down a wide road for a bit until they rounded a corner, and there standing directly in front of them was the Eiffel Tour.

"Well," she asked gazing at the metal structure, "What do you think?" Draco looked at it for a moment. It was lit with soft yellow lights and didn't look nearly as awful as Ellie made it sound.

"It's not that bad, Ellie," he said with a grin. Ellie gave a wicked sort of smile.

"Oh, just you wait," she said as she took his hand and led him down some steps closer to the monument, "give it a few minutes and we'll see if your opinion changes." Draco rolled his eyes as she led him across a street and through a great plaza until they were under the structure. He doubted that looking at it from this angle would change his opinion.

"It looks the same from here," he said dully. Ellie frowned but continued to look upward at the structure. Suddenly, Draco understood Ellie's distaste for the thing as it began to twinkle and flash like a tacky Christmas tree.

"Wow," he said as he watched the lights flicker obnoxiously.

"See, I told you it's gaudy," she said with a grin. Draco smiled and took her hand back into his.

"Come on," he said gently, "let's go home."

* * *

Ok, I hope you enjoyed. I've been on a role lately so next chapter will be up in the next week or so.

Please review, it makes me happy :)


	8. Stockholm Syndrome

Once again, thanks to everyone for their support.

And all recognizable characters, etc. still belong to JKR.

* * *

The weeks began to pass quickly and crisp, sunny autumn days quickly faded into dull, gray winter. Ellie kept tight lipped about the counter curse her sister had given her, but nearly every night, once she was sure Draco was asleep, she would try to open the sealed envelope. This was to no avail, and it made Ellie very nervous.

What made her even more nervous, however, was the upcoming engagement party that Narcissa had planned. It was to be held on Christmas Eve and with each passing day, Narcissa seemed to grow more and more excited.

The walls of the manor were almost unrecognizable for all the decorations that had been put up. Enormous strands of garland, red and green ribbons, and sprigs of holly and mistletoe seemed to cling to every available corner. Normally, such a sight would have made Ellie's heart warm with holiday cheer, but lately she had been dreading Christmas. Draco, however, seemed to grow more cheerful as Christmas Eve approached. When Ellie commented on his change of character, he simply replied that he had loved Christmas since he was a child. Ellie rolled her eyes at this statement. Naturally, Draco would enjoy a holiday based around receiving gifts.

The morning of Christmas Eve dawned cold and gray. The clouds loomed thickly overhead, but they refused to release their deluge of clean, white snow. Ellie was writing a short letter to her sister while Draco continued to sleep when Narcissa burst into the room with a manic sort of smile on her face.

"Good morning, mother," Draco called groggily from his bed before turning over and presumably going back to sleep.

"Good morning, Draco," she said, "Are you two ready for the party tonight." Ellie coughed back a disgusted laugh.

"Well, no, actually, we're not. But I think that ten hours might be just enough time to get ready," Ellie said sarcastically. Narcissa did not look amused. She simply marched to the closet and began to rummage through Ellie's clothes.

"Come now, Ellie, you ought to be in a good mood for your own engagement party," Narcissa said as she pulled out a long dress that Ellie's mother had sent her, "I think this dress will suffice."

Ellie spent the rest of the afternoon in the bathroom where Narcissa fussed over everything from her hair to her toenails trying to make her look perfect. Ellie felt bad as she looked at her reflection, the Malfoy family was entirely good looking. Surely, she would ruin their uncanny luck of producing attractive children.

Narcissa had shoved her into the dark blue dress. It was really a beautiful dress, but Ellie couldn't help but feel self conscious considering the amount of cleavage she was showing. It wasn't until Draco appeared in the bathroom, however, that she felt completely indecent. He stared at her chest unsympathetically which caused her to blush all the way to the roots of her hair.

"Stop staring at me, Draco," she felt even more embarrassed when her voice shook. Draco met her eyes with an unreadable expression.

"You actually look like a grownup," he said simply. Ellie was unsure if this comment was meant to be a complement or an insult.

"You look very grownup in your dress robes, too," she said awkwardly. At that moment, Narcissa clapped her hands together excitedly.

"It's seven thirty," she said happily, "nearly all the guests should be here by now." So the pair followed her in silence down the stairs to the party. Draco took Ellie's hand and looked at her seriously for a moment.

"What I said earlier came out wrong," he said as his eyebrows inched together, "What I meant was that you look very beautiful." Ellie felt her ears turn hot and without thinking she snatched her hand away and blurted out:

"Stockholm syndrome." Draco looked at her blankly.

"I'm sorry, but excuse me?" he said.

"Stockholm syndrome," Ellie said again, "that's what you're feeling." Draco shook his head.

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."

"Stockholm syndrome," Ellie repeated for a third time, "is when in a hostage situation the hostage eventually develops an emotional attachment to their abductor. That's all this is." Draco's expression was hard to read. Perhaps it was hurt, but then again, maybe it was relief.

"Come on," he said taking her hand again, "you're making our guests wait."

The party was extravagant, to say the least. Narcissa had truly outdone herself with the decorations. The entire ballroom was covered in red and green; it looked almost like Christmas itself had vomited all over the room.

For a good half hour, Ellie was forced to be introduced to every Malfoy relation to ever exist as well as a few of Draco's school chums. Finally, the small band Narcissa had hired began to play and Draco led Ellie out onto the dance floor. Ellie hummed along with the oddly familiar tune.

"Draco, I think this is a muggle song," she said as he led her in a slow dance step she didn't know.

"I doubt it," he said simply as he twirled her around. She concentrated on the song and it dawned on her how she knew it.

"No, Draco this really is a muggle song. I'm sure of it," she said suddenly remembering, "I've heard it in a muggle movie." Draco only frowned. He didn't like talk of muggle things, but Ellie ignored him and sang softly into his ear.

"_It's still the same old story, the fight for love and glory, a case of do or die_," her voice was only a little more than a whisper, "_The world will always welcome lovers as time goes by_." Draco held Ellie close for a moment. It would have been a tender moment if it had been between a pair of true love birds.

"You're a lovely singer," he whispered into her ear. Ellie grinned and raised an eyebrow.

"Trying to charm me, Mr. Malfoy," she asked. Draco shrugged.

"Just trying to give you a complement," he said honestly. They danced on in silence until the song ended.

"At least we'll always have Paris," Ellie said with a small giggle as if it were her own personal joke. Draco only frowned. He would have responded, but across the room he saw Pansy Parkinson waving like an idiot.

"Excuse me for a minute, Ellie," he whispered into her ear, "I have to say hello to Pansy before she has a heart attack." And with that he let go of her waist and the pair drifted away to opposite ends of the room.

For a moment Ellie felt terrified as she eyed the crowd of people she had never met before. All the girls glared at her, so she tried not to make eye contact. Finally, she spotted a familiar face. Standing back towards the wall was Daphne Greengrass, the girl she had met several weeks ago in Diagon Alley. Ellie weaved between the people in the crowd until she reached Daphne who gave her an odd half smile.

"Hello," Ellie panted, leaning against the wall, "Enjoying yourself, Daphne?"

"Not really," Daphne answered.

"Well, that makes two of us," Ellie said, "You're the only one here that I've ever met before." Daphne didn't look surprised.

"And I doubt any of these girls would be keen on striking up a friendship," She said as she glanced over the crowd, "Most of them had crushes on Draco back at Hogwarts. It's disgusting, really." As Daphne said this, her eyes stopped on Draco. Ellie followed her gaze and saw Draco talking vivaciously to a pretty girl with light brown hair. She kept touching and rubbing Draco's forearm as they spoke to each other. It made Ellie feel almost nauseated.

"Are all the girls like that with him?" Ellie asked more to herself than to Daphne.

"Most everyone," Daphne said still glaring at the girl, "They all think they can still win him over. I think they're interested in the money mostly." Ellie glared at the girl. She was actually very pretty, and even through her fluffy, blue ball gown it was easy to see that she had a stunning body.

"Who is that girl, Daphne," Ellie asked. Daphne laughed humorlessly.

"Didn't you know? That's my little sister, Astoria," Daphne said. Her voice turned bitter when she spoke her sister's name, "She's a real prat, too. Won't stop talking about all the gobs of money the Malfoy's have and how easy it'll be for her to charm him." At that moment, Astoria turned and looked directly at Ellie. She had a look of triumph in her eyes as she grinned from across the dance floor. Then, she slowly turned and planted a kiss on Draco's cheek. To Ellie's horror, Draco didn't back away. Instead his hand moved to the small of her back and with a lopsided grin he led her out onto the floor to dance. Ellie's heart felt like it was thudding in her ears.

She watched Astoria pull him close as they moved gracefully across the dance floor. Occasionally she would lean close to Draco and whisper and giggle into his ear. Draco never pulled away; instead he played into her coy, little game and laughed with her. Ellie felt as if her blood was turning so hot it might burn right out of her skin.

"Excuse me for a moment, Daphne," she said, but Daphne didn't seem to hear her as she glared at her sister. Ellie walked as swiftly as she could out of the ball room, ignoring the tug that grew stronger and stronger around her naval. She wanted nothing more than to be as far away from Draco and the awful women in the ball room. She turned several corners very quickly before she pulled out her wand and took out her anger on the Christmas decorations. After blasting and burning all the ribbons, she felt that the pulling in her stomach was too strong and she should return to the party.

As she walked back the way she came, she noticed an enormous sprig of mistletoe that she hadn't noticed before. It only seemed appropriate that she should blast it to make sure she had truly gotten over her fit of rage, so she strolled until she was standing directly underneath it and pointed her wand straight up.

"_Expulso_," she whispered gently. Nothing happened and Ellie frowned. "_Incendio!_" She said. Flames shot from the end of her wand, but once they stopped she saw, to her frustration, that the mistletoe showed no sign of damage. Ellie's frown deepened.

"_Diffindo_," she tried, but the mistletoe continued to hand just as fine as ever, "Oh, fine." And with that, Ellie gave up. She tried to take a step forward, however, and nearly toppled over as both her feet remained firmly on the floor. She let out a frustrated shriek as she realized that she was stuck beneath the mistletoe.

Ellie tried every curse and jinx she knew, but she could not find a way to escape from underneath the mistletoe. Finally she sighed and accepted that fact that she most likely had to wait for someone to come and kiss her. After what felt like ages, Ellie finally felt the nauseating feeling in her stomach lessen and she knew that Draco was moving in her direction. Then, at last, she saw his dark silhouette round the corner and stride towards her.

"Draco," she said helplessly, "I'm stuck." A small grin crossed his face as he eyed the mistletoe above her head.

"And I thought you were just trying to keep me in pain," he said, "then again…" Ellie knew from his face that he had spotted the demolished decorations behind her.

"What took you so long?" Ellie asked, trying to draw his attention away from the mess she had made.

"How was I supposed to know you were stuck here?" he retorted, "Most normal people don't march off from their own engagement party to go blow up Christmas decorations." Ellie glared at him.

"Yeah, well most normal people don't flirt with women who aren't their fiancé," Ellie tried not to yell, "And yet you seemed to be pretty comfortable having Astoria Greengrass fawn all over you. Maybe you should marry her instead." Some dark expression passed through Draco's eyes and then it was gone. He lowered his head so that his lips nearly touched hers.

"You know, Ellie," he whispered, his breath tickling against her lips, "I'm fairly certain that this isn't Stockholm syndrome." He took a step closer and Ellie felt one of his arms snake behind her back. His eyes locked with hers for a moment, but then fluttered closed as his lips crashed down onto hers. Ellie felt as if her breath had been knocked out of her. It was as if the most painful feelings she had felt when she was apart from Draco were being reversed, and the most marvelous feeling occurred wherever their skin touched.

Draco pulled her closer and deepened the kiss. Somehow, Ellie's hands had managed to wind their way around Draco's neck and into his fine, blonde hair. Draco had one arm around Ellie's waist and the other caressed her jaw and cheek bones. With every moment that passed, Draco pulled Ellie's body tighter and tighter against his.

After what felt simultaneously like several long years and a few short seconds, Draco finally broke the kiss. The pair simply looked at each other, both breathless and flushed.

"I think we should head back to the party," Draco finally said. Ellie could only nod; she didn't think her voice would be able to work, so she followed Draco mutely back to the ball room. As they entered, Ellie could see Narcissa frowning disapprovingly from across the room and she wondered if people knew what events had just transpired. But Draco didn't seem to let any of that bother him. Instead, he lead Ellie right back to the dance floor and pulled her much closer than the first time. So close, that Ellie could comfortably rest her head on his shoulder.

Neither of them said anything as Draco led them around the dance floor. Several times, Ellie felt something graze the top of her head, and she couldn't tell if it was his chin or if he was leaning down to kiss her hair.

Finally he leaned down and whispered in her ear,

"I shouldn't have been flirting with Astoria. I'm sorry." Ellie felt a jolt of surprise and pleasure at the words. She had never known Draco to be the type to apologize, so she continued in her silence as she pondered his sudden change in character. Finally, the last of the guests made their way out the door to find their traveling cloaks and go home. Draco stopped dancing, but continued to hold her close. She looked up at his face and wondered if he was going to kiss her again.

"We should go to bed," he whispered with a small grin, "We wouldn't want Santa Clause to pass over our house because we're not sleeping." Ellie couldn't help but smile.

"Well, I'm sure that all you'll be getting from Père Noël is a bundle of twigs," Ellie laughed. Draco raised an eyebrow.

"Don't you mean coal?" He asked. Ellie shrugged.

"Who knows," she said, "I'm sure that he'll bring you whatever he's handing out to the naughty kids this year."

"I'm not all that bad," he grinned as he led her out of the hall and up to their bedroom.

* * *

Hmmm, what now? You ask? Well, you'll just have to wait for the next chapter!

Don't forget to review!


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